The Ways and Means Committee has neither ways nor means. Discuss.
As noted elsewhere, the state Senate committee's work belies its brash-sounding title, as it hasn't met since 2001.
That makes it a convenient place for Senate leader Marc Basnight to send bills to die.
Below, the bills sent there so far and what they would (have) do(ne):
S.B. 87: Taxpayers Protection Act: Put constitutional limits on state spending up for a referendum.
S.B. 108: Management of the Striped Bass Fishery: Authorize the Marine Fisheries Commission to create a tradeable quota on striped bass.
S.B. 118 and 119: Four-Year Terms: Lengthen state legislators' terms from two to four years.
S.B. 156: Session Limits: Limit legislature to 90 days in odd-numbered years, 45 in even-numbered.
S.B. 272: Defense of Marriage: Put a ban on gay marriage to the state constitution up for a referendum.
S.B. 329: Right to Hunt: Put a "right to hunt" amendment to the state constitution up for a referendum.
S.B. 351: No Felon as Sheriff: Put a constitutional ban on felons serving as sheriffs up for a referendum.
None of the bills are officially dead until crossover week, however. The committee is chaired by Sen. Charlie Dannelly, one of Basnight's top lieutenants, so a bill could conceivably be resurrected if he changed his mind.
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Re: No ways, no means, no how?
Often we hear on Dome and elsewhere about how bad it is that NC has a long ballot (for everything from executive brach officials to judges) that the poor public knows nothing about what they're voting on.
Interestingly, it's then implied that somehow the public needs to be able to vote on all kinds of propositions to add to the constitution, perhaps even the burning question of the matter of striped bass.
So which is it? Do we want a referendum on every last thing or a representative democracy that prioritizes the functions of government?
Right now, the people vote relatively often (every two years) on the legisaltors. Legislative leadership of the majority and minority is vilified heartily in each campaign, but the voters seem to be able to come to a consenus every two years knowing full well what has recently happened in the past two.
And the state is still growing because of out-of-staters moving here.
We already have some referendum provisions (bonds, etc.) How about a post on that for comparison?